Two shot molded inkjet printhead lid for laser welding

Abstract

An inkjet printhead lid has a light opacity component and a laser light transparent component molded together in two shots in an injection molding chamber. The laser light transparency component has a periphery that extends beyond a periphery of the light opacity component on substantially all sides thereof. An inkjet printhead body laser welds to the laser light transparency component in an area between the peripheries of the two lid components. Inkjet printers for containing the printhead are also disclosed. In the molding chamber, two sources of injection molding materials inject a first and then a second mold to mold the two lid components together. One of the two sources of injection molding materials has laser light transparency characteristics while the other has light opacity characteristics. Mechanical interlocking features may also exist in both of the two lid components.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A method of injection molding an inkjet printhead lid, comprising: 
       providing an injection molding chamber with two sources of injection material, one of the two sources of injection material having light opacity characteristics and the other of the two sources of injection material having laser light transparency characteristics;  
       injecting a first mold with a first of the two sources of injection material to form a first inkjet printhead lid component;  
       injecting a second mold with a second of the two sources of injection material to form a second inkjet printhead lid component; and  
       molding the first and second inkjet printhead lid components together.  
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the injecting the second mold and the molding the first and second inkjet printhead lid components together happens substantially simultaneously. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further including transferring the first inkjet printhead lid component to a position adjacent the second of the two sources. 
     
     
       4. A method of injection molding an inkjet printhead lid, comprising: 
       providing an injection molding chamber with two sources of injection material, one of the two sources of injection material having light opacity characteristics and the other of the two sources of injection material having laser light transparency characteristics;  
       injecting a first mold with a first of the two sources of injection material to form a first inkjet printhead lid component having a first periphery;  
       transferring the first inkjet printhead lid component to a position adjacent a second of the two sources of injection material;  
       injecting a second mold with the second of the two sources of injection material to form a second inkjet printhead lid component having a second periphery extending beyond the first periphery o n substantially all sides thereof; and  
       substantially simultaneously with the injecting the second mold, molding the first and second inkjet printhead lid components together.  
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the injecting the first mold with the first of the two sources of injection material further includes injecting the one of the two sources of injection material. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the injecting the second mold with the second of the two sources of injection material further includes injecting the one of the two sources of injection material.